CBC-Sports

What's the real reason behind Danny Dichio being frozen out by Toronto FC?

August 26, 2009 10:17 AM | Posted by   John Molinaro  

For a player known for his combative and confrontational playing style, Danny Dichio exudes a quiet thoughtfulness off the field.

Hidden behind that warrior-like exterior is a gentle soul, a devoted husband and father of three and, to hear his teammates tell it, someone who will go to the ends of the earth and back for his friends, family, and for Toronto FC.

It’s too bad TFC management doesn’t seem to understand what that means.

Dichio cemented his status as a club icon on May 12, 2007, when he scored the very first goal in franchise history in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire. To this day, whether he’s on the field or not, fans still burst out into song and chant his name in the 24th minute during games (his goal against Chicago came in the 24th minute), a loving and genuine tribute to an old-fashioned English forward who truly is beloved by the Toronto faithful.

And why shouldn’t the fans lavish him with such praise and affection?

He’s been a model player and servant to the club, distinguishing himself as a valuable member of the local community with his charity work, involvement in youth soccer development, and countless public appearances on behalf of Toronto FC.

Dichio, who turns 35 in October, can’t play forever, though. He admitted prior to the start of this season that he planned to retire at the end of the campaign. In light of that, Toronto FC should be going out of its way to honour the man and allow him to bow out with grace and dignity.

But they’re not.

Dichio’s playing time has been cut in half, and he’s made just six starts in 18 appearances this year (compared to 17 starts in 23 appearances in 2008). With the season winding down, the team finds itself in the middle of a daunting and uphill battle for a playoff spot, so you would think they would avail themselves of an experienced leader such as Dichio.

Instead, Dichio has watched from the sidelines, his last appearance in a regular-season game coming a month ago. What’s more, the Englishman suffered the ultimate embarrassment last week when the team didn’t even see the value in him travelling to L.A. for a crucial contest against Chivas USA, leaving him behind at home to watch the game on TV as his teammates embarrassed themselves, powerless to voice encouragement or whisper a tip to one of the newcomers.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the team has concocted a lame cover story in an attempt to deflect criticism and public outcry.

Maybe Dichio has lost a step. Maybe Toronto FC management genuinely believes his best days are behind him and he should be shown the door. And maybe they think it’s time to give playing time to a crop of younger players, including rookie O’Brian White (the No. 4 pick overall in January’s college draft) and Canadian international Ali Gerba.

And if that’s the case, fine. Say that.

But to come out and suggest, as coach Chris Cummins did earlier this week, that the club’s all-time leading scorer is too banged up physically to travel to West coast road games to be an asset to the team is insulting and disrespectful to Dichio.

Dichio deserves much better and the fact he is being forced to suffer this public humiliation is appalling.

What’s particularly distasteful about this entire saga is the way Toronto FC management is taking advantage of Dichio’s good nature, confident they can peddle this ridiculous explanation without him publicly calling them out. After all he is a team player, in every sense of the term, and not the sort of person to make waves or cause problems by speaking out.

Although somewhat shy around a microphone, Dichio has maintained a cordial and friendly relationship with the media in Toronto, and has always found time to speak to reporters.

But he’s grown suspiciously quiet all of a sudden, turning down multiple requests to be interviewed by the media the past two days.

Cummins’ terse response to this reporter’s line of questioning regarding Dichio during Tuesday’s media scrum at BMO Field also speaks volumes, as does the code of silence practiced by several Toronto FC players who declined to talk when asked to comment on the Dichio situation.

Will Dichio see regular playing time down the season stretch? It seems unlikely.

It is much more certain that Toronto FC has badly bungled an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of the fans' most beloved player.

Follow John Molinaro on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnMolinaro

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